JERUSALEM, Israel -Al Qaeda's number two leader is calling on Muslims to wage a holy war war over the Gaza Strip.

He says Muslims must break Israel's economic blockade of Gaza. It's another example of the turmoil in the Middle East that promises to command the next U.S. President's attention.

Click play to watch Pat Robertson's analysis of the situtation in the Middle East following CBN News John Waage's report.

What War?

With Americans embroiled in a high stakes election, events in the Middle East have taken a back seat for both candidates and voters. But the turmoil there promises to command the next President's attention, long after the votes are counted in November.

Judging by the polls and the campaign rhetoric, it seems that at least half of America doesn't believe the nation is at war.

Nearly seven years ago, in the aftermath of 9/11, President Bush vowed to go after terrorists and the nations that sponsor them. However, in his latest state of the union speech, he didn't even name the enemy: radical Islamists.

While Iraq remains the top U.S. foreign policy issue, radical Islamists who see America as their enemy are on the move throughout the region.

In Iran, which may be about to go nuclear, the mullahs fund terrorists around the world.

In Lebanon, the Iranian-backed Hezbollah dominates the political scene, while its Syrian partners kill off the opposition.

Islamic State

Since the 2006 second Lebanon War, Hezbollah has more than rebuilt its arsenal of rockets aimed at Israel, America's closest Middle East ally.

In the Gaza Strip, Hamas has created its own Islamist mini state with smuggled weapons and upgraded rockets to threaten Israel on another front.

And the recent breach of the Gaza-Egyptian border could allow Hamas to strengthen its ties to the Muslim brotherhood in Egypt.

This campaign season, war-weary American voters may not want to hear about a prolonged conflict with the terrorists, and the candidates may not want to talk about it. But the next President will certainly have to deal with it.